The Politics of the Struggle to Resolve the Conflict in Uganda: Westerners Pushing Their Legal Approach Versus Ugandans Insisting on Their Mato Oput (Report)

Introduction After combing through many different definitions of politics, ranging from the simple to the complex, and varying from the profound to the obvious, James Barnes, Marshall Carter and Max Skidmore assert that "the key idea that underlies them all is that politics somehow involves the fundamental values of a community.... In ranking their values, people establish priorities for action" (1984:4). Thus, as can be gleaned from the title of this essay, the purpose here is to examine the competing values proffered by Westerners and Ugandans in the struggle to resolve the conflict in Uganda.